Category: CD Reviews I-P

Like everybody else I am waiting the release of the new Danger Danger album, which will hopefully see the light of day in 2009. But if you think Ted Poley is just sitting around doing nothing you would be sadly mistaken. Not only is he preparing for the release of Poley/Rivera’s Only Human in the middle of November, he also found the time to record the debut album “For Your Personal Amusement” with his band mates in Pleasure Dome. Poley teams up with David Tsien (guitars), Charlie Calv (keyboards), Ed Avila (bass) and John Hummel (drums) in what amounts to a melodic rock supergroup. Some of the bands the members have been involved with in the past include, Shotgun Symphony, Arcara, Shoot the Doctor, Skin Tag and Melodica.

After a short musical intro everything kicks off with “Trapped” which is a heavy melodic song filled with some great bass lines from Avila and keyboards from Calv. For someone known more for party rock Poley does a great job of handling the vocals on this song and Tsien completes the song perfectly with his guitar work.

“One & Only” could easily pass for a Danger Danger song or a song off Poley’s solo albums. It is a catchy sing a long song with great vocals and even more great guitar work from Tsien. I hope some radio station gives this song a chance because it deserves it and has hit written all over it.

“the Aura That Surrounds You” is another heavy melodic song with some haunting keyboards and great bass from Calv and Avila. With every song Tsien’s playing impresses me more and more. His playing along with Poley’s vocals shine throughout the album.

“Praying For A Miracle” is an acoustic based mid tempo rocker, which I believe was first recorded for Liberty N’ Justice’s “Independence Day” album that Poley also sang a track on.

“Always Tomorrow” follows the same formula as “Trapped” and “Aura That Surrounds You”. “Love Is A Game” is a duet between Poley and unfortunately an unknown female singer. She also returns to join the band again on “I Won’t Cry”.

“Seems Like A Dream” is an unusual song as it is mostly an instrumental but it does have about a minute worth of vocals in the middle of the song but there is some great playing nonetheless.

“Return To Zero” is by far the heaviest song on the album, while it is a decent song I could live without it and it wouldn’t leave a hole in the album.

Comic book fans should all love (Who Will) Save the World as this rocker talks about how the world needs a new super hero as all the well known heroes from D.C. and Marvel alike are all busy with their own problems. This song gets my vote for best song on the album.

“For Your Personal Amusement” is a good album and a great introduction to the band. Hopefully we will get a chance to hear their work again. I believe the guys just started scratching the surface of what they are capable of doing together.

Nickelback has returned with their follow up to 2005’s multi-platinum disc, “All the Right Reasons”. This time around Nickelback has brought in superstar producer Mutt Lange (Def Leppard, AC/DC) to help craft their new album.

Like many of you, I downloaded the new single, “Gotta Be Somebody” when RoadRunner Records made it available. I don’t know if it was a preconceived notion in my head knowing who the producer was, but I thought, at least with the first single that Mutt Lange figured out a way to (Def) Leppardize Nickelback’s sound. The first single was good enough to entice me to purchase the new album.

Prior to the release of Dark Horse, Nickelback has released a second single “Something In Your Mouth”. My first thought was that this was a terrible choice for a song title. Strangely enough, this song has an upbeat groove that will likely make it a crossover hit in both pop and rock formats, bad title or not.

“Burn It To the Ground” is amazingly catchy. The guitar riff on this song had me tapping my feet, and doing a little headbangin’. This song is one of the heavier cuts on “Dark Horse”, and an early favorite of mine.

“I’d Come for You” is a mid tempo number that ought to be released as the third single on Dark Horse. This song could be a #1 hit for the band. Yes, it really is that good.

“Next Go Round” reminds me a lot of the song “Animal” off of “All the Right Reasons”. This song is a high tempo rocker with some heavy guitar elements. Is that a guitar solo I hear? Somebody pinch me, surely I must be dreaming. This is a Nickelback CD right?! Mutt Lange must of broke out a can of whoop ass on Nickelback, as Ryan Peake plays his butt off. “Just To Get High” has even more guitar solos in it. I thought this was a lost art form on today’s modern rock artists. I leave it to Mutt Lange to get the best out of Nickelback. I love hearing Peake play like this.

The song “Never Go Alone” reminds me a lot of Hysteria era Def Leppard. If you listen closely to the guitar parts, there are some definite similarities on this song. This is going to be a huge hit for Nickelback. I guarantee it.

“Shakin’ Hands” has this upbeat sexual groove that will likely help this song become a staple in strip clubs everywhere. You have to listen to the lyrics to truly understand why.

“If Today Was Your Last Day” is a little bit too much of a generic Nickelback song for my tastes. Even though this comes across as an average tune in my ears, this will likely be a pop hit for the band.

“This Afternoon” is a song that was crafted more for the pop audience than the hard rock crowd. This is a throw away song for me personally, but I am sure their will be some folks that like it.

Has Nickelback surpassed their monster effort “All the Right Reasons”? I believe they have. I thought their last album had a few good songs, but was quite a bit over rated. Dark Horse has at least 6 or 7 songs that have single potential. This is an album could easily carry Nickelback well into 2010 with its monster radio potential.

Track Listing:
1. Something In Your Mouth
2. Burn It To The Ground
3. Gotta Be Somebody
4. I’d Come For You
5. Next Go Round
6. Just To Get High
7. Never Gonna Be Alone
8. Shakin’ Hands
9. S.E.X.
10. If Today Was Your Last Day
11. This Afternoon

Whoever said first impressions make lasting impressions couldn’t have been more wrong when it comes to my opinion of Lordi. When I first saw the video for “Hard Rock Hallelujah” I changed the channel without ever listening to the song brushing this Finnish band off as a Gwar wannabe and since I am not a Gwar fan I didn’t give the band a second thought. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I heard “Hard Rock Hallelujah” and realized Lordi had a lot more to offer.

Now just in time for Halloween Lordi gives the world their latest offering “Deadache”. For fans of Lordi you will be pleased to know the band has not changed their sound at all since their last album “the Arockalypse”, if you haven’t heard Lordi before get ready for some of the best monster rock this side of Alice Cooper.

After a short opening track titled “SCG IV” everything gets kicked off with “Girls Go Chopping” , which has a great groove, some cool keyboard from Awa and a pretty cool solo from guitarist Amen. The first single “Bite It Like A Bulldog” is up next and it pretty much follows the same recipe with great hooks, a sing along chorus that will have you tapping your feet along with the song.

“My Monsters Keep Me Company” is the fourth track on the album, it is a slower and heavier song with some haunting keyboards. Mr. Lordi sings in a hushed tone until it comes to the chorus when his familiar growl comes back. I can definitely see this song being released as a single and opening a few more eyes to Lordi.

“Man Skin Boots” gets my vote for the best song on “Deadache”. It has hooks galore, great gang vocals, and a pretty cool solo from Amen. It has a Rob Zombie feel to it but the one thing I think separates Lordi from Rob Zombie is Zombie uses a lot more machines where Lordi sticks to letting their instruments do the talking.

“The Ghosts Of Heceta Head” and “Evilyn” are two more cool songs. Heceta probably has the best keyboards of any of the songs on the album and Evilyn has the best solo on the album. Just like the title suggest “Raise Hell In Heaven” is a burner from start to finish and can get you motivated to do just about anything.

The rhythm section of bassist OX and drummer Kita don’t get a lot of chances to shine on this album but their playing is solid and steady throughout the album.

The only real dissappointment on “Deadache” is “Beast Loose In Paradise” from Lordi’s movie “Dark Floors”(which I highly recommend you watch) is not included. Other than that “Deadache” is a solid album from start to finish loaded with some great songs and a great follow-up to “the Arockalypse”.

Sleaze Rock has seen one of hell of a resurgence over the past few years. While the majority of the bands have came out of Sweden, Johnny Burning is here to show the world that Italians can do it just as good if not better than the Swedes and judging from their album “Get Up, Get Loose, Get Off!” this five piece band from Imola, Italy are definitely on the right track.

There are about three song titles that kind of leave me scratching my head wondering what they are talking about. The first such song is the lead off track “Wrong Shape” but the guys can be forgiven because the song absolutely rocks with a great groove, catchy lyrics, a great sing a long chorus, and a smoking solo. Lead singer Manuel (no last name needed) sounds like a cross between the legendary Jesse Hart (Southgang) and Mimmo (Krystal), the guy can really sing and probably the biggest thing for me, I can understand what he is singing which unfortunately has kept me from being able to get into a couple of other Italian bands in the past. I’m not sure who is supposed to get credit for the solo since the band has two guitarists D.B. & Niko (once again no last names needed), but neither are distinguished as the lead or rhythm.

“Devil Inside” pretty much follows the same suit as “Wrong Shape” and it is just as rocking too. These guys definitely know how to write catchy songs with great hooks that will keep a part of your body tapping be it your head, feet, or hands you won’t be able to help yourself.

The third track is another one of those scratching my head title and it definitely gets my vote for the most interesting song title of year “Sassy Lassie Goose” is another great song that follows the same recipe as the albums first two tracks and pretty the rest of the album follows as well.

I have no idea what “Idiota” means but Johnny Burning changes things up just enough with this track to keep things interesting with it’s an a capella opening and throwing some harmonica in there as well.

“Shine” is the ballad/mid tempo song on the album and unfortunately it was written about 20 years to late because back in the 80’s this song would have been a monster hit. It could have easily stood toe to toe with any song released by Bon Jovi, Poison, Great White, or any other band we could sit here and name and it could just as easily stand toe to toe with any of the power ballads that have been released over the past couple of years, maybe a disc jockey somewhere will give this song the chance it deserves and give it some air play.

For “Rock in the U.S.A.” the guys drop the sleaze and give a more melodic approach but the results are just as great as any other song on this album.

I can’t forget the rhythm section of Cesko on bass and Rob on drums because they definitely keep everybody in line on this album.

If you like your rock sleazy with a touch of blues, big choruses, and smokin’ solos Johnny Burning maybe exactly what you are looking for.

Some of you are probably wondering why I would cover a fifteen year old movie soundtrack at HRH, but I have a very good reason to do so.

Chances are, you probably have seen this clunker of a movie featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is one of the rare cases where the movie soundtrack is actually better than the movie itself.

A couple of wees ago, I started looking for rare cuts from Tesla, and discovered that they performed the title track to the movie “Last Action Hero”. While I didn’t remember the song, I saw the list of bands on this sound track and couldn’t resist picking this up. I secured a copy off of Amazon.com for 1 cent plus shipping.

You can’t really go wrong with a soundtrack that has AC/DC, Alice in Chains, Megadeth, Queensryche, Def Leppard, Anthrax, Aerosmith and Tesla on it.

This is the only place you will find the Tesla cut, “Last Action Hero”. This also has a semi rare cut from Megadeth “Angry Again” which originally only available on the Hidden Treasures CD, but can now also be found in the Megadeth Warchest CD box set, or the newer greatest hits disc Anthology.

This also the only place you will find the AC/DC song “Big Gun” (in the video below).

I didn’t really care for the Alice in Chains songs, but the rest of the stuff on this disc is pretty good. For one penny plus shipping, it was a worthy purchase. You can find a copy for of the CD, at this link.

I must admit that I never heard of Johnny Diesel and the Injectors until 2008. After I read about these guys, I felt compelled to seek out their 1989 self titled CD to see what they were all about.

I expected these guys to be a simple pub rock band in the vein of AC/DC. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Johnny Diesel and the Injectors has a sound that probably has more in common with John Mellancamp than with AC/DC. Johnny Diesel has a pretty good voice. His vocals have a slight bit of rasp to them. This really helps drive the harder rocking tunes on this disc.

There aren’t too many rock bands employing a saxophone player in today’s music. I love the saxaphone, and I think it adds a lot of character to the music on this disc. It often takes the emphasis off of the lead guitar, and even though Johnny Diesel is a solid guitar player, Bernie Bremond might be a better sax player.

There are several good songs on this disc including “Lookin For Love”, “Cry In Shame”, “Soul Revival”, “Don’t Need Love”. I really don’t think there is a bad song on this disc.

Something that surprised me about Johnny Diesel was the fact that there were several music videos released for this album (Check them out below). I don’t recall seeing any of these on MTV back when the station played videos. It is a real shame too. This album could have been huge in the United States, if was given a little bit of support.

You can practically steal this disc off of Amazon.com. If you are looking for something different to enhance your playlist, you ought to give Johnny Diesel & The Injectors a look. This disc was a nice surprise for me. I have enjoyed this disc quite a bit, and I think a bunch of you will to.

Former AC/DC singer Dave Evans is back with his follow up to his 2005 CD, “Sinner”.

I enjoyed “Sinner” quite a bit, so I was anxious to hear what the Aussie King of the Badasses had in store for us, with his new disc “Judgement Day”.

Dave brought in his writing mate Mark Tinson to craft nine new tunes to get you rocking.

If you are familiar with the sound of Australian pub rock, then you will know what to expect with this CD. You get a bunch of hard rocking tunes with loud guitars that will get your blood pumping.

55 year old Dave Evans can still get in done in 2008. His vocals combined with the bluesy guitar licks of Ngariki makes this a fun disc to listen to. Guitarist Ngariki is a very good player, and his bluesy fretwork greatly augments the songs on “Judgement Day”.

Just listen to his playing on my favorite cuts “We Don’t Dance To Your Song”, “Little Headbanger” and “You Talkin’ To Me?”. He really kicks ass. I would love to see him handle these tunes in a live setting.

Bob Dylan, The Animals, Geordie, and countless other bands have covered “House of the Rising Sun”. Dave Evans doesn’t really add any new twists to the song, but I like his version.

I don’t think the songs on “Judgement Day” are quite as strong as Dave Evans last disc “Sinner”, but I still thought the CD was pretty good nonetheless. It is another solid effort from Dave Evans and company.

The two song clips below will give you a brief taste of “Judgement Day”. Check them out, and if you like what you hear, You can purchase your copy of “Judgement Day” at Chaos.com, CDWow or through iTunes!

1. We Don’t Dance To Your Song
2. Little Headbanger
3. Another Boy On The Street
4. You Talkin’ To Me?
5. Ain’t Gonna Do You To Me Anymore
6. Band Molls
7. Shoot On Sight
8. Helluva Night
9. Judgement Day
10. House Of The Rising Sun

Surprise! Metal Church has a new album out, it’s scary to think that a legendary band like Metal Church would release a new album and there be no press on it. I have all eight of the other Metal Church albums and found out about “This Present Wasteland” looking through the new release section of a very non-metal website. As soon as I found out when it was being released I went straight to my favorite record store, known to many as Amazon and ordered it.

Metal Church has always been a strange band for the fact that they are hard to classify. Are they thrash or power, I think the answer is a little of both, especially with Ronny Munroe as the vocalist, if you haven’t heard him sing think of him as a cross between Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and Biff Byford (Saxon). This is Munroe’s third album with the band and I still can’t get used to his voice, maybe I am just a die hard David Wayne (R.I.P.) fan.

The musicianship on “Wasteland” is excellent Kurdt Vanderhoof shreds as he always has and guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger, and drummer Jeff Plate round out the ’08 version and are all very tight. Jeff Plate is a monster behind the drum kit. Without a doubt the songs are there, but once again it goes back to the vocals and the fact that I just can’t get into Munroe’s vocal style.

“Breathe Again” starts everything off and probably is the best track on the album but it reminds me more of Iron Maiden than Metal Church. “Crawling To Extinction” is where Jeff Plate gets to shine but in all actuality he shines throughout the whole CD. “Deeds of a Dead Soul” kind of reminds of Metallica in the way it is almost nine minutes long but also the solo is very reminiscent of Kirk Hammett.

If you haven’t heard Metal Church before or only the three albums Ronny Munroe has sang on “This Present Wasteland” may appeal to you but if you are a fan of David Wayne or Mike Howe it may leave you wishing for a little more.

Sixteen years is a long time to wait for an album to be released, but that is how long I waited for Johnny Crash’s second album “Unfinished Business” to finally see the light of day. I guess the question is was it worth the wait, that is where the answer gets tricky. If any of you read or participate in HRH Forums you may know that Johnny Crash’s debut album “Neighbourhood Threat” is one of my top 5 all time albums. It has great songs from start to end but the biggest thing for me is after listening to it for the past 18 years it still does not sound dated to me. “Hey Kid”, “Crack of Dawn”, & “Ax To The Wax” all sound as great today as they did in 1990 when I first bought the cassette.

Unfortunately that is what is missing off “Unfinished Business” now don’t get me wrong there are some good songs and there are some o.k. songs but there are no great songs and as much as I hate to say it the album sounds very dated. “Damnnation Alley” and “Mama Don’t Care” try to capture the in your face balls to the wall feeling of the debut while they come close in the end just can’t pull it off. “Mama Don’t Care” could definitely be a better song but instead of letting it end the last minute and half is a senseless and useless outro that kills all the momentum of the song. “In The Groove” shows the guys stretching a little bit more with the acoustic intro and could have easily been a good stripper song back in the day but not in ’08. “Rock-n-Roll Suicide” is another attempt at trying to recreate the energy of the debut but it to falls a little short.

It’s not often that I say this but in this instant the best song off of “Unfinished Business” is a ballad “When It Gets Hard”. Vicki James Wright really gets to stretch his vocals on this song, it has a real bluesy feel and a backup choir that really helps fill the song out.

I don’t know if it was the fact that Dizzy Reed replaced August Worchell on lead guitar or because the band was still morning the loss of bassist Andy Rogers who died from a heroin overdose, but something is definitely missing off this album. To answer the question was it worth the wait? Yes and No I love the fact that I got to hear some new Johnny Crash songs, I just wished the songs were a little better than they are.

Let’s Rumble is the their effort by L.A. Rockers Love/Hate. The band was dropped by Columbia, and this album was financed by Love/Hate’s bass player Skid, who sold his corvette for 20K, in order to put this album out.

This CD features the guitar playing of Darren Householder who joined Love/Hate after the bands’ original guitarist Jon E. Love quit the group.

I like Love/Hate’s debut album, Black Out in the Red Room, and sophomore effort Wasted America a lot, so I was really hoping for more of the same with Let’s Rumble.

After spinning this a few times, I can’t help but to thing something is missing from their initial releases. Love/Hate was able to write and record a bunch of sleazy good tunes on their first couple of albums, but Let’s Rumble is missing the groove that made their initial recordings so good. Jon E. Love played great on those discs, and his absence can be felt on this disc.

Don’t get me wrong, Darren Householder’s playing on this disc is very good, but I believe the chemistry between him, Jizzy Pearl and Skid is missing. I just don’t get the same vibe from Let’s Rumble.

Love/Hate did have a minor hit on this disc with the tune “Spinning Wheel”, and I like that tune well enough. “If You Believe In Miracles” has a much more stripped back sound than the other tunes on this disc, and is definitely one of the highlights here. The other songs on this disc just don’t get much of a reaction from me. It is like the guitar work is better than the songs, or the songs don’t mesh with the guitar playing. Either way, it all sounds very average to me. I bet Skid wishes he could get his Corvette back after recording this. Love/Hate has done much better than this.

Let’s Rumble has been out of print for quite a while, but you can find copies of this disc through Amazon.com and Ebay. This is a disc for Love/Hate die hard fans only. If you prefer digital downloads, Love/Hate has made this album available for download on their website for free at this link.

I must admit that I only discovered The Poor recently, when I found out that they opened up for AC/DC on their Ballbreaker tour. I didn’t wee AC/DC on that tour, but I found I strange that I didn’t know about a band, that opened up for them. On the strength of their tune “More Wine Waiter Please”, The Poor also opened up for KISS, Van Halen, The Scorpions and more.

The Poor’s sound is definitely AC/DC inspired. I don’t know if I would call them an AC/DC clone, but I hear instances where they sound like Airbourne (or is it Airbourne that sounds like them)and Rhino Bucket, with a little bit of 80’s hair metal guitar for good measure. Interestingly enough, The Poor’s drummer, James Young is the nephew of Malcolm & Angus Young.

While the music on this disc is not very original, it is pretty good. This is one of those CD’s where I like every song. Some of my favorite cuts are “Dirty Money”, “Tell Someone Who Cares”, “More Wine Waiter Please”, and “Liar”.

For more information on The Poor, check out their myspace page, and tell someone who cares! You can find copies of this disc, at Amazon.com and on EBay. The band reunited for an opening slot with W.A.S.P. in 2008, so we have not seen the end of The Poor. Check them out!

I must admit that when I found a copy of the Little Angels CD, Young Gods in my local rock shop recently, I didn’t know very much about them. I guessed by the cover art that they would be another average hair metal act that I had forgotten about. I decided to take a chance on the band, and purchased this disc.

I really didn’t expect Young Gods to be much. With that being said, I was pleasantly surprised to find a disc full of good catchy tunes.

It sounds as if the band was trying to tap into the early 90’s glam metal scene with some of their songs. Take one look at the video for the song Boneyard (below) and you will see what I mean. Not all of the songs are in the style of late 80’s/early 90’s pop metal. This disc has a good mix of pop metal, AOR, and maybe a small dash of southern rock.

The musicianship of Little Angels appears to be a lot better than many of the bands that found success in the United States in the 90’s. Bruce John Dickinson is a pretty good guitar player. His guitar licks combined with the piano, and keyboards of his brother, Jimmy is a pretty stout combination in my book.

Toby Jepson, The voice of Little Angels, can go from a clean vocal to a Tom Keifer like scream. I like is style and I believe he is a very under rated vocalist.

Some of my favorite cuts are Back Door Man, The Wildside Of Life, and She’s A Little Angel. I don’t recall hearing any of these songs on the radio, or seeing any of the Little Angels’ videos on MTV back in the day. Apparently, the band was pretty popular in the UK, but never gained a foothold in the United States. It is a shame as Young Gods is an above average disc that I have been enjoying a great deal. If you can find a copy of this out of print disc, I recommend picking it up.

Singer Vikkis Johansson has a sound and style that is more reminiscent of 60’s and 70’s rock. While it is probably unfair to compare her a great singer like Janis Joplin, she can certainly hold her own. She does get a little pitchy at times, but I think that adds more character to the music.

A lot of bands coming out of Sweden as of late seem to fall into the glam metal category. Powertrip sounds nothing like the majority of the bands coming from Sweden as of late. If anything, they probably have more in common with Soundgarden, than they do Crashdiet. Their bass-laden music is heavy, and unpretentious. Cold Black Lie shows the raw potential that this band has.

Some of my favorite cuts on this disc are Abused, Emptiness, and Cold Black Lie.

Since the release of Cold Black Lie, the band has changed their name to Scars of Paradise, to better reflect their music. You can still find the band at their Powertrip myspace page at this link. Check them out!

I don’t usually review greatest hits collections at Hard Rock Hideout. I usually prefer to collect an artists complete catalog, and create my own greatest hits collection. It is my feeling that each album is worth a review. Unless you are a die hard fan of a particular artist, it highly unlikely you will own all of their albums or compact discs. So why review this disc?

Not only does this disc come with two new tunes (John Wayne and New Future Weapon), but it also contains the complete Billy Idol video collection. Two of the videos on the DVD are previously unreleased versions.

Billy Idol’s music speaks for itself. His hybrid version of punk, pop and hard rock has created a slew of top 10 hits all over the world, and has turned Idol into a rock icon. Billy’s right hand man, guitarist Steve Stevens is easily one of the most under rated axe slingers from the 80’s. There are many songs on this collection where he cuts loose with some very cool guitar riffs. I often feel that his talent was overshadowed by the keyboards in Idol’s music, but he is a very good player nonetheless.

Many of you may already own Billy Idol’s first Greatest Hit collection, Vital Idol from 1987, or the newer one from 2001. Even if you do, you still may want to give this new collection a look. This Deluxe edition surpasses all of the previous versions. This collection is also a great starting point for new fans to check out the best parts of Idol’s career spanning music. I love owning copies of the music videos, so the DVD is one bonus that adds a lot of value to this collection. The only negative that I found with this collection is in the CD booklet. I thought it was a little light on information, and could have had a lot more details and pictures. That is only a small problem, and the music is what is the most important thing anyway.

The deluxe edition of Idolize Yourself is available at most retailers for under $20.00. It is well worth the price in my opinion.

Why some great releases go out of print, makes no sense to this listener. Metal Church’s fifth CD, The Human Factor, featuring ex-Heretic vocalist, Mike Howe is easily my favorite by the band.

Mike Howe sings with an angry passion that would make Dave Mustaine proud. The song writing on this disc is way above average. Even though guitarist, Kurt Vanderhoof didn’t play on the record, he left his mark as the chief songwriter. The songs tackle the political and social issues of the day, including music, poverty, activists, censorhip, child endangerment and more. One look at the lyric sheet, and you will be amazed at the writing on this disc.

Everything on this record works for me. Great vocals, kill guitar work, an excellent rhythm section and good songs. The music is heavy but it has a killer groove, that will appeal to a lot of metal fans.

The best cuts on this record are Human Factor, Date With Poverty, Final Word, and In Harm’s Way. Even though these songs are the stand out tracks, I like ever song on this disc. In fact, I love this album every bit as much as the day when I picked it back up in 1991.

Sadly, this album is out of print, but copies of it show up on Ebay and Amazon.com from time to time. If you can find a copy of the Human Factor, grab it. You won’t be disappointed.

Jackyl frontman, Jesse James Dupree has released a second solo CD, but this time he has brought some friends along for the ride, in the form of Dixie Inc.

After seeing Jackyl live in 2007, I have really started to appreciate their brand of no frills hard rock. I always liked the band, but I they were far from my favorite. I had to check out the latest work from Jesse James Dupree.

Those of you looking for some new Jackyl styled tunes, may like what you hear on the first half of the disc (Saturday Night). The tunes are a good mix of hard and southern rock.

The second half of this CD may have some people scratching their heads.

The half of the disc coined Sunday Morning (Old Fashioned Radio Show) is more of a country, rock, blues hybrid that is different from the music that Dupree has been known for.

The first half of the disc is so much in the same vein as Jackyl, I wonder why, Dupree didn’t save the tunes for another CD with the band that made him famous (or is that infamous). It may not be Dupree’s best work, but it does rock. 1095 days is the only song that takes a detour, but it reminds me of a few of the other tunes that Jackyl has done.

The second half of the disc, isn’t my favorite, but it does have its moments. Fred and Richard Young from the Kentucky Headhunters join Dupree’s group for some fun sounding country rock.

The Party is a honky tonk sounding tune with some cool slide guitar. I actually like this tune pretty well.

Maybe it isn’t fair to compare this music to Jackyl. This isn’t a Jackyl CD, and with the second half of this disc formulated to sound like an old fashioned radio show, it becomes something different. At first, I didn’t like the second half of this disc at all, but a few spinning this in my car a few times, I have warmed up to it somewhat.

This CD may appeal to both Jackyl and Kentucky Headhunter fans. This isn’t Dupree’s best work, but it is entertaining. To find out more information on Dixie Inc, and to hear some of the songs on this disc, check out the band’s myspace page.

Sunday Morning (Old Time Radio Show):
9. One Extreme Intro
10. Welcome to the Show
11. Party
12. Reality Star Intro
13. Reality Star
14. A.J. White’s
15. Well Enough
16. Fire It Up
17. Had to Get Stoned
18. American as Apple Pie
19. Far Out
20. One Extreme Outro

Hole in the Sun is the first new album from Night Ranger in nine years. On Hole in the Sun, the band has returned to their hard rocking roots.

The lineup of Night Ranger has changed since this album was released. Michael Lardie has returned to Great White, and was replaced by Christian Matthew Cullen. Jeff Watson was replaced with Joel Hoekstra.

I must admit that I had low expectations for this disc. I like Night Ranger, but the last couple of releases were just on the o.k. side for me. Hole In the Sun is easily the best record they have done in a long time.

Jack Blades and Kelly Keagy trade off on the lead vocals on this disc. Both singers do a pretty fine job, especially Jack Blades who sings backup to Keagy’s tracks.

Before this disc was released, Jeff Watson was fire by Night Ranger. I do not know the reasons why, other than some squabling over the direction of this album. Judging from the sounds on Hole In the Sun, it couldn’t have been due to his playing ability. The guitar work of Watson and Gillis is superb on this disc.

Some of the songs on Hole in the Sun are of the hard rock variety, and some fall more into the melodic rock/aor vein. The mix of songs on Hole In the Sun is pretty good, which gives the album a very balanced feel to it. Their really isn’t a bad song on this disc.

The first three tracks are amongst the heavier cuts on the album. You’re Gonna Hear From Me is one seriously rocking tune, and quite possibly one of Night Ranger’s best songs ever.

Europe has had their hands on this disc since 2007 (although it has a different cover). I am not sure why it took so long for Night Ranger to secure a U.S. deal, but I am glad they did. If you have ever considered yourself a Night Ranger fan, you need to check out Hole in the Sun. This may not be their best record, but it is a very solid effort, and worth checking out.

In 2008, I have been very anxious for four bands to release their new albums, Whitesnake, AC/DC, Judas Priest and Motley Crue.

Out of the four, I was mostly concerned with the new Judas Priest disc, Nostradamus, as it is a concept album. That style of album rarely turns out well for most hard rock and metal acts.

With this being a two disc set, I wanted to take some extra time before I put my thoughts down in a review. There is over 90 minutes of music over the two disc set. That is a ton of music to take in at once.

I have no problem with the subject matter of Nostradamus that was used for this disc. I thought if Judas Priest wrote the right songs, this album could be something special.

The first disc starts off strong enough, with the first couple of songs. Prophecy, and its intro, Dawn of Creation are pretty good tracks. I also next two songs, Awakening and Revelations. Revelations is full of those trademark guitar riffs that Judas Priest is known for.

Things start to get a little theatrical with the songs The Four Horseman, and War. It picks up the pace again somewhat with Pestilence and Plague. The song doom laden song, Death sounds more Black Sabbath like, than it does Judas Priest. This lengthy metal track has some killer guitar work, but you have to struggle through parts of the song to get to it.

Disc 1 continues to drag on, and I must admit, I had a really hard time getting through the latter half of this disc.

The first song on Disc 2 that I enjoyed was the mid-tempo track Alone. This song is a little long, but pretty good. The rest of material on this disc I felt was very average until I heard the title track, Nostradamus. This song could have easily been on Painkiller. Sadly, their are not enough songs like this, in this two disc set.

If you are looking for another British Steel, or Painkiller album, Nostradamus is not it. If you have an open mind, you may find some songs to enjoy. If you are looking for instant, memorable hits, you will not find those on Nostradamus. This isn’t Judas Priest’s best work by any means. This album has the potential to grow on you, if you give it the proper chance. Nostradamus isn’t a complete disappointment, but I hoped for more from Judas Priest.

After much too long of a wait, 8 years to be exact, we finally have a new Motley Crue disc with all new material.

It has been far too long since the L.A. bad boys have released any good new material. Their last couple of studio albums have been disappointing in my opinion. I have been hoping that Saints of Los Angeles would put Motley Crue back in form.

So was S.O.L.A. worth the wait?

The opening cut, L.A.M.F., sounds like the band was looking for an epic opening ala, In the Beginning from Shout at the Devil. Sadly, this isn’t it. This track is annoying, and should have been left off of the album.

Face Down in the Dirt is the song that should have led off Saints of Los Angeles. This hard rocking tune is one of the better tracks on S.O.L.A.

What’s It Gonna Take is an o.k. track that feels a little bit like filler to me. It isn’t the worst Crue song I have ever heard, but it is far from their best.

I like the tune, Down at the Whisky pretty well. This song would have fit in well with the Girls, Girls, Girls album.

Chances are you have already heard the title track, Saints of Los Angeles a few times as have I. I liked this tune as soon as I heard it, and still do.

Motherfucker of the Year is pretty much the main lyric of this aptly titled song. The song writing is pretty simple stuff, but Motley Crue makes it work. The content has pretty much guaranteed that this tune will get no radio airplay. I doubt the band cares. I like it.

The Animal in Me is a mid-tempo song that feels like another filler song. It isn’t terrible, but just an average Crue song. It does break up the pace of the record, but that is about it.

Welcome to The Machine is not a Pink Floyd cover song (thank goodness). This hard rocking tune is growing on me with each listen.

Just Another Psycho is one of those songs that you either love or hate. Mick Mars has some cool guitar riffs on this song. The lyrics are kind of silly, but this song is catchy.

Anyone that has read the Nikki Sixx book, The Heroin Diaries, will automatically recognize the song title, Chicks = Trouble. This seems like a quick cash in for Nikki Sixx. Vince Neil makes this song work. This song also sounds as if it would have been home on the Girls, Girls, Girls album.

This Ain’t A Love Song is another tune that is just o.k. This isn’t as good as Sick Love Song from the 2005 Red, White and Crue greatest hits compilation, but it doesn’t suck either.

White Trash Circus has a cool sleazy groove to it. I didn’t like this song at first, but it is definitely another tune that will grow on you.

Goin’ Out Swinging is the song that Motley Crue went back into the studio to record, after the album was finished. This late addition was desperately needed on S.O.L.A. Not only is this one of the better songs on the disc, but it gives the Crue a hard hitting tune to close out the album with.

I played the heck out of this disc while I was on vacation last week. While I don’t think this is Motley Crue’s best work, it is most certainly a return to form for the L.A. hard rockers. For this listener, S.O.L.A. was worth the wait!

Recommended Listening!

You can buy a copy of Motley Crue’s Saints of Los Angeles CD at this link.

Rating:Out of 10

Track Listing:
1. L.A.M.F.
2. Face Down In The Dirt
3. What’s It Gonna Take
4. Down At The Whisky
5. Saints of Los Angeles (Gang Vocal)
6. Motherfucker of the Year
7. The Animal In Me
8. Welcome To The Machine
9. Just Another Psycho
10. Chicks = Trouble
11. This Ain’t A Love Song
12. White Trash Circus
13. Goin’ Out Swingin’

Thanks to Classic Rock Magazine, I discovered a new band from the land down under, Koritni. Sonically, Koritni has a sound similar to AC/DC, but lead vocalist Lex Koritni has a great voice that differs from the other AC/DC like bands. He has a cool raspiness, and almost a twinge of southern rock ala Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Johnny Van Zant and quite similar to Cormac Neeson from The Answer. Give it a listen and you may hear something different, but nonetheless, I like his voice, and the sound of this band.

Red Light Joint is a pretty damn good rocker to start this disc off with. This is a great foot stomping rocker with a cool Angus Young like guitar riff.

Under the Overpass is the song that I first heard from this band. This was on the February CD sampler in Classic Rock Magazine. This too is a very good upbeat rocker.

Heaven Again is an excellent mid tempo rocker that reminds me a little of Buckcherry in sound.

Highway Dream and Never Say Goodbye are both fun little rockers. My only complaint on these songs is they are a little short, clocking in less than 3 and half minutes. Both songs are extremely catchy though and a good listen.Sick Again is a funky rocker with another killer guitar riff by lead guitarist Eddy Santacreu. This is a well written song that has a nice groove to it. It is one of my favorites on this disc.

Not Your Man is the first track that I thought was average at best. Even at that, I found it listenable, it just isn’t one of my favorites. I See the Light is a track that I could easily hear on the radio. It has a cool guitar groove to it, and is very upbeat.

If it wasn’t for the guitar work on Starving Fast, I probably wouldn’t care for this track very much. Just like Not Your Man, I thought this one was average at best.

Lady Luck could easily be a moderate hit on U.S. rock radio if given a chance. This is a pretty solid track.

Got To Get You Into My Life is an extremely cool cover of the Beatles song. This version is a bit more rocking than the Beatles version, but still stays fairly true to the original song. Great!

Ain’t No Love Song is a low to mid tempo heavy bass laden rocker. It is a solid track, but not one of the better songs on Lady Luck.

If you have 10 bucks that is burning a hole in your pocket, you can download this now from ITunes, or you can pick this up from some of the great CD retailers that I have listed at the Hard Rock Hideout. This CD is a must have for straight forward hard rock fans, and especially those that like bands like AC/DC, Rhino Bucket, Salty Dog and possibly some Buckcherry. Lady Luck is one of my early favorites in 2007. Check it out!!

One of the craziest releases of the late 80’s, was O.F.R. by Nitro. Everything about this four piece band was so completely over the top, it wasn’t even funny. The only thing higher than Jim Gillette’s hair was the octave of his glass breaking screams.

Michael Angelo Batio’s guitar playing was nearly as high pitched as Gillette’s voice.

Former Vinnie Vincent Invasion drummer, Bobby Rock did a pretty good job maintaining the pace of this high speed, high octave hair metal. Nitro only proved to be one of the many sub par bands that he would be a member of.

I wish I could tell you that Nitro’s music was awesome, but quite honestly, Freight Train, is probably the best song on the album, and that isn’t saying much.

Most of the songs are focused around Gillette’s high pitched wails and screams. Although Nitro’s music is above average, Gillette’s vocals can grate on your nerves, and if anything else are some what ridiculous to listen to. When Gillette isn’t breaking glass with his voice, Batio is usually guitar noodling at notes nearly as high as Gillette’s voice. This too can grate on your nerves.

If they band managed to do anything, it was to get themselves noticed with their insane sonic attack.

Aside from Freight Train, the song Long Way From Home, is probably the closest thing resembling a hit on this album. O.F.R is exactly what you would expect it to be, out-fucking-rageous, it just isn’t very good. Migraine sufferers might not want to play this album during an attack.

After listening to this album again for the first time in years, I honestly believe the best thing Gillette did was marry Lita Ford.

This album is long out of print, and I doubt too many of you would want to pay the top dollars it will take to track this one down. That is unless you need some of your old glassware broken.

If you are dying to hear some songs by this band, check out their myspace page.

In 1985, Leatherwolf unleashed their three axe attack with their self titled debut.

If you are a metal fan that loves to hear a lot of heavy guitar work, you are going to love Leatherwolf.

This record starts off with the heavy tune Spiter, that immediately shows the prowess of their three pronged metal music. Michael Olivieri is quite a good metal singer, and he proves to be quite a solid axeman as well. Carey Howe, Matt Hurich and Michael Olivieri’s musicianship is ultra tight, and their guitar work plays off of each other well.

Leatherwolf is a hard band to compare to other acts from the era, but Iron Maiden would likely be the closes act they resemble, although their style is somewhat different. This is hard driving metal that simply kicks ass from beginning to end.

This disc has been out of print for quite some time and recently reissued by the band in 2007. The re-released version has a bonus track, Alone In the Night, which was originally recorded for the movie, Return of the Living Dead Part II. It is a nice addition to this cool disc.

Leatherwolf is still going strong with their 2007 release New World Asylum, you should definitely check out this record, as well as their latest work. If you are a heavy metal fan, buy this, you wont be disappointed. This album rocks!

Germany continues to pump out good Melodic Rock, and Midnite Club is no exception. I must admit that I have not heard Midnite Club’s debut record, Running Out of Lies, so I really didn’t know what to expect when I fired this disc up.

What I found is a good band with strong guitar work and a very good vocalist. Guitarist, Stephen Seeger has called George Lynch one of his influences, and he makes no attempt to hide his Dokken style riffage. At times, I think he has mastered George Lynch’s style more than current Dokken guitarist, Jon Levin. Midnite CLub’s singer, Carsten Schulz reminds me a lot of Gotthard’s Steve Lee, and he might actually be a tad bit better.

Midnite Club’s music doesn’t really clone the sound of either Dokken or Gotthard though. This is due to the keyboards of Holger Seeger. At times his keyboards overpowers Midnite Club’s songs, and at other times it seems to empower them. Some of the songs on Circus of Life could have sounded better without the keyboard mix in my opinion, but even with the keyboards, most of the songs seem fairly solid.

I liked Midnite Club’s cover of the Kenny Loggins tune, Danger Zone. This was a completely unexpected cover, and not something I would expect to hear a band redo in 2008. Some other cuts that I really enjoyed were Circus, Behind My Eyes, and Shelter From the Storm.

Circus of Life is a decent mix of AOR and hard rock. It isn’t a perfect record by any means, but if you like good, melodic hard rock, it is certainly something you will want to check out!

My first thought going into this record was, how much of Def Leppard’s sound will be mixed into this record. Much to my surprise, not as much as I thought. Yes, there are a few Leppardisms here and there, but this is a completely different sounding record. Surreal is more of a pure rock record, and an eclectic mix of styles.

On Surreal, I hear a blend of punk, pop, hard rock, and reggae. It is a fusion of styles that make this one of the more interesting records as of late.

The song writing is somewhat simple, but it is catchy. The songs get in your head, and stay there.

Some of my favorite cuts are Turn It Up, Every Second of Every Day, Skin Crawl and Halo. These aren’t the only good songs by any means. There really isn’t a bad cut on this disc.

Not only is Phil Collen an outstanding guitarist, but he is pretty damn good in the vocal department. His vocal style is similar to Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott. The chemistry between Cook, Collen and Laffey is quite apparent, and it shows in the music. The songs are upbeat and fun to listen to. Not only do I hear Def Leppard’s influence, but I also hear a Police vibe in some songs.

The bottom line, I have been thoroughly enjoying this disc, and I think you will to. Surreal hits stores on June 3rd. Don’t miss picking this one up!

It is hard for me to believe that is has almost been 20 years since Pretty Boy Floyd’s debut, Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz. It has been a long time since I listened to this disc, as I only picked up a copy of this CD, only recently. I once owned a copy of this on cassette tape, but that tape bit the dust a long time ago.

I somewhat recall the band having a sound similar to Motley Crue, but aside from the title track, I could not remember much of the album.

Steve Stevens vocals do remind me of Vince Neil’s vocals from the Too Fast For Love album, but I believe the style of music is a little closer toPoison than Motley Crue. I don’t think Pretty Boy Floyd is as good as either of those two bands. I did enjoy their songs, Rock & Roll, the Motley Crue Cover, Toast of the Town, and the title track, Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz, but aside from that, I found this to be fairly standard stuff. This is a CD for hair/glam metal fans only.

Pretty Boy Floyd will reunite for the Rocklahoma Music Festival on Saturday July 12th. If you are looking for a copy of Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz, prior to the show, you can purchase the CD at this link.

As always, MSG features the stellar guitar work of Michael Schenker. If you are familiar with any of MSG’s prior albums, you know you are going you are going to hear plenty of guitar riffs with that great Schenker trademark sound.

What is cool about this album, is that it seems to be more of a complete band output, than just Schenker playing over the top. Don Airey’s Purple-esque keyboards are often present adding a whole new layer to MSG’s music. This disc has a 70’s classic rock vibe about it, but the production and sound is top notch.

The last couple of MSG albums have been somewhat disappointing, and this is definitely a return to form for Schenker and company. This is easily the best album by MSG since the Robin McAuley era.

This CD will be released in May, and you will definitely want to add this to your list of discs to purchase soon! In the Midst of Beauty will likely find itself in many top album lists at the end of 2008!.

In 2006, Leatherwolf released a new CD, World Asylum, that featured a new singer for the band, Wade Black. The CD didn’t take off as they expected it to, and Wade Black left the band, in November of 2006.

Fast forward to 2007, and original singer Michael Oliveri rejoined Leatherwolf. The band re-recorded World Asylum, with Oliveri on vocals and re-released the record via Nil8 Records.

I have the original version of the CD, and for whatever reason, I could not get used to Wade Black (Crimson Glory) on vocals. His style was somewhat different from Oliveri’s, and I didn’t get into that disc very much.

I have been a fan of Leatherwolf for years. Their three axe attack was always something to draw me in. The lineup of the band has changed, but the great metal music has not. In fact, New World Asylum is nothing short of killer!!!

Oliveri’s vocals on this record are damn near perfect, and the guitar work is excellent. Whatever tweaks the band made to this new version of World Asylum seems to work, as I like this version much better.

The Best cuts are I Am The Law, Live or Die, Behind The Gun, and Dr. Wicked. I don’t think their is a bad cut on this disc.

If you are a fan of heavy metal music, in the vein of bands like Judas Priest and Accept, you ought to check out New World Asylum. You will be glad you did. You can hear more tunes from New World Asylum, at the Leatherwolf myspace page here. American heavy metal doesn’t get much better than this! The CD is available for purchase through CD Baby.com.

Rating:Out of 10

Track Listing:
1. I Am the Law
2. King of the Ward
3. Behind the Gun
4. Live or Die
5. Disconnect
6. Dr Wicked (Rx O.D.)
7. Institutions
8. Derailed
9. The Grail
10. Never Again

When I first heard songs off of POWND’s Circle of Power, I immediately wanted to know more about them. I was shocked to find out that the band is from Richmond, Kentucky, and most of the tracks were either recorded in Kentucky or Cincinnati, Ohio.

Once I found out that this was a local band of sorts, I immediately ordered Circle of Power. I am quite glad that I did. At certain times throughout this record, singer Michael Duncan sounds like a dead ringer for Queensryche’s Geoff Tate. Pownd’s music is somewhere in the vein of Lethal (remember them?) meets Crimson Glory.

The highlights on Circle of Power are the heavy tune Monster, the awesome melodic metal of The Stand, and the killer closing track, Swatting Flies.

Not every song on Circle of Power is an instant classic, but it is a very solid metal offering. If Pownd tightens up their song structures, they will have the potential to become a major player in the heavy metal world.

After hearing some of the songs on Circle of Power, I wondered to myself why these guys were playing on the main stage at Rocklahoma, instead of the side stage. They really are THAT good. If people take the time out to check out their live performance, they will be amazed at what they hear.

Nightmare Records seems to have a good ear for new talent. I will soon be checking out other acts on their roster, as a result of hearing this record.

Be sure to check out POWND at their myspace page. You will be glad you did!

In 2007, the band Mass released their first CD with new material since 1988.

I do not know how a band that has been around since the early 80’s has managed to stay off of my radar for so long. One thing is for sure, I am glad I have found them. Their new disc, Crack of Dawn is a quality piece of melodic rock.

Singer Louis D’Augusta reminds of a cross between Tony Harnell and Johnny Gioelli. He is a very good singer, and his clean vocals are a pleasure to my ears. This album tends to go back and fourth between AOR and hard rock. I prefer the harder edged tunes on this disc. My favorites are It’s You, Sweet Lady Jane, and the bonus track Seven Days.

While I am not familiar with any of Mass’ previously released music, I have enjoyed Crack of Dawn enough to look for other releases in their catalog of music.

You can check out a few tunes off of Crack of Dawn at the band’s myspace page.

Don’t miss them when they take the stage at Rocklahoma on July 12th, 2008!

After ODIN slit up in the late 80’s, singer Randy O was able to secure another record deal with Atlantic Records, for his band, Lostboys. Lostboys also included former ODIN guitar player, Jeff Duncan.

Lostboys played a fairly typical brand of hair metal, that was quite common for 1990. At times Randy O sounds quite a bit like, Drew Hannah from the band Wildside. Some of the songs on Lost and Found are hit and miss, but there are a few good tracks including Crying Out, Right on Track and the title track, Lost and Found.

Lostboys sound certainly doesn’t set them apart from so many of the bands of the early 90’s, and are one of the more obscure bands of the era. The guitar work by Jeff Duncan is very good, but Randy O’s vocals can often go from cool to annoying very quickly. With that being said, I am not crazy about this CD. If you like the CD, Under the Influence from Wildside, you might find a few songs that you enjoy here. Some songs are decent, and others are quite bad.

The cost of admission makes this one that might be worth exploring for you. You can find copies of this disc on Amazon.com for less than a dollar. Tread at your own risk!